Personal data has no easy, clear-cut legal definition. The definition set out in the Data Protection Act 1998, enacted following European legislation in the form of Directive 95/46/EC, leaves businesses and their advisers dealing with a significant amount of uncertainty. “Personal data” are defined in the 1998 Act as: … data which relate to a […]
Information Technology Law Archives - Page 2 of 2 - SEQ Legal
Scraping, data mining and data harvesting
Many websites incorporate data obtained from other websites. It is sometimes thought that, where the data obtained is not protected by copyright (e.g. data consisting of postal addresses arranged alphabetically) there are no legal problems. This is however a mistake: the collection and re-use of such data can present significant legal risks. As a matter […]
Scraping, data mining and data harvesting
Many websites incorporate data obtained from other websites. It is sometimes thought that, where the data obtained is not protected by copyright (e.g. data consisting of postal addresses arranged alphabetically) there are no legal problems. This is however a mistake: the collection and re-use of such data can present significant legal risks. As a matter […]
International transfers of personal data
Website operators commonly transfer the personal data of their users overseas. However, the UK’s Data Protection Act 1998 expressly restricts certain transfers of personal data outside the European Economic Area : “Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area unless that country or territory ensures an adequate […]
